The Rooster

Advantage to rear drag spinning reels.........quick adjustments during a fight. Ability to quickly change spools of line without having to readjust the drag again, just pop off and pop on. If you string your rod up and forget to loop the line under the bail first, no problem, pop it off, open the bail and pop it back on again. Advantage to front drag spinning reels..........larger drag washers so they might disipate heat better for fighting fish that tend to run a lot. Also when a reel comes with a spare spool you are getting an extra set of drag washers built right into the spare spool vs. a rear drag only has just the one (much smaller) set. Also having the drag applied right at the spool seems mechanically to me like it would just work better since the rear drag reels have to turn the entire shaft from end to end of the reel for it to work vs. the front drag reel only has to have the spool spin on the shaft right there by the drag washers. Less moving parts this way. If you have a reel that has spool bearings so the spool spins even easier then it's so much the better but the rear drag reel turning the shaft means it rotates with some added friction as it passes through the pinion gear inside regardless of bearings. Who knows, that might actually add to the drag (very minutely) but it will definitely add to the wear factor over time. For years I fished with rear drag reels, that's all I would use. Began using front drag reels about 3 years ago and have loved them so much I don't miss the rear drag. I don't find it all that hard to adjust it during a fight either. And I think the drag pays out smoother too.

Quantum Accurist II AC500CX, that reel has an aluminum frame and 5 bearings. Good reel for $45. Where is this available for this price?? I may be interested myself. That's a good price.

I took a look at a reel tonight with the swept in handle design. Been looking at these for some time in catalogs but have not handled one until tonight. It's a BPS Extreme, the new one. I have 5 of the old ones with straight handles that I use. It occurred to me sometime ago that when cranking that my knuckles might hit the nut cap or handle shaft while reeling but I figured I was just imagining a problem that probably wouldn't even exist. Well, a friend of mine sent me his Extreme to clean up for him, and his is one of the newer ones. I was cranking it and noticed that my knuckles DO hit the nut cap and metal part of the crank as I reel it. This is a problem since I notice that swept handles are becoming a trend. I think in 5 years I won't be able to find a reel that doesn't have swept handle. I guess the only answer is to learn to use them...........or buy a Curado now and hope it lasts for the rest of my life (since it has a straight handle on it). Anybody else notice this or have to learn to hold it differently so it doesn't happen??

I began spooling all spinning reels same as a baitcaster a long time ago. Lable up, lable down, line coming off same way as going on spool, or visa versa, has never worked for me very well at all. I get some twist even with the baitcast method too, but not nearly as much. However I have never had it coming off the bottom when I spool it. So I'll try that next. But so far, baitcast method has been by far the best way for me, no matter the brand of reel.

Extra fast and fast action rods don't load up as well as medium or slow action rods. Therefore, they are overall a bit stiffer feeling. Break a tip and see if the rod doesn't feel stiffer to you. They do not load as well as before because you lost some of the flex. That by definition makes them faster actions. I cannot explain it any simpler.

The action wouldn't be slower, it would actually become faster since part of what broke off is the flexible section. Now the rod would be stiffer overall since the "new" tip of the rod is in a heavier section than before. Making a fast tip become an extra fast for example, because it's in a less flexible section now. That's assuming he broke only the tip end of the rod down to the second guide back. For some reasone when I first read this I had the impression that he had broken the rod so that ONLY 2 lineguides remained above the handle, in other words 1/2 or more of the rod is gone. If this is right then you might have a use for that too. Use an old reel on the broken rod, one that still works but is not something you fish with regularly, wind some heavy braid onto it and keep a plug knocker tied onto that setup so when you snag up a nice lure and it's down deep, all you have to do is let the plug knocker slide down the line to the lure and snag it, then pull it free and wind it up using the reel. Having something like this can be a nice use for an otherwise unusable rod. You can get the braid from another reel when it's time to change that line out for new, wind the old line onto the plug knocker reel.

I have 8# on a 30 size and it does just fine. Also have used 8# on a 35 as well since I have one of each. Only reason I choose one over the other is due to how it balances on the rod. The 30 is on a 6' rod and the 35 is on a slightly heavier feeling 6'6" rod. Both cast very well using the Stren original or the Berkley Trilene XL. However, line twist is an issue and it's worse using these Pfluegers than I've ever had with any other reel.

My brother in law has broken several Shimano rods, I think they were all his fault too, but every single one of them was replaced at the place of purchase without question.

So they covered the cost of the merchandise they destroyed but still charged you shipping for it........effectively making you PAY for the service of destroying your order. Nice.

Unless there's HAIL in it!! ;D :)

I found it interesting that as much fishing as he does during the run of a year, that when he is on vacation, or thinking about other sports or pass times, that he still includes fishing in that and references it in some way as many times as he does. It's like he's consumed with it even when he doesn't have to be.

You should use the rod to get fish out of cover, not winch the fish out using the reel. Always move the fish with the rod and take in line with the reel only when you can. Higher speeds have advantage of taking line in quick for certain techniques such as worm fishing where the fish takes the bait and then swims towards the boat. Take up line fast and set the hook. Also it can be nice for burning a bait when you want to get a speedy retrieve going without wearing your arm out cranking 90 miles an hour. Or for taking the line back in quickly after a non-productive cast to make another cast again as well. Lower gear ratios allow for more torque so you get a deep diving crankbait down deep without wearing your arm out from the cranking torque necessary to do this. This is similar to a high gear ratio for fast retrieves saving your arm but on the opposite end of the scale. Also can be good for controlling the tendency to reel in too quickly when you really need to be fishing slower such as in cold weather. Forces you to slow down. The 6.x reels are an "all around" reel, fast enough to work for burning, slow enough to use for cranking, and all in between. You can step up or go down with them "if you need to". I see it as each ratio has a best usage range and also has an "acceptable usage with some losses" range as well. I think of it as a good, better, best scenario when it comes to what ratio to use for what application. But as others have stated as well, IPT tells more of the story than the actual ratio. Also you can change things again by adding a longer handle to a reel, add more torque, force you to slow down yet again, things like that.

In essence, after a cast, as you reel the lure in it will get progressively faster and faster until it's finally back at the boat. You'll not notice the increase in speed however.

An E5 is a 5.0 ratio. 7.0 (which would be an E7) is a lot faster than it. I'm not sure how a 7.0 is for crankbaits. I think of them as being fished on slower retrieves so they dive deeper.

RCX has an extra bearing over the Pro Qualifier. Can't see this making a significant difference, however, one thing that might is that the RCX is also a good bit heavier than the Pro Qualifer, 9.45 oz. compared to only 8.8 oz. All day casting, you "might" feel it. Hard to tell, doesn't seem like a lot but it's noticeable. Also RCX has 135 yd spool capacity vs. only 120 on Pro Qualifer. Overall, these are very minor differences but all things considered I'd rather have the Pro Qualifier for it's lighter weight, slightly smaller profile making it easier for me to hold onto, and...........I just think it looks better. That purple color of the RCX I'm not too sure about.

"Graphite is for rods" Words to live by when it comes to reels and the frame material for them. There are a few exceptions for this such as an ultralight crappie reel or something, even a bass spinning reel for "average" fishing maybe. But if I want to depend on a reel for any serious bass fishing or otherwise then it has to be aluminum, and the more metal the better I like it (Abu Garcia Soron STX for example, besides the grip on the handle is there any material that's NOT metal??). For baitcast reels there is no exception at all in my book. Aluminum frames always or I have no interest at all.

I can't stand a reel with the slightest hint of a grind or any noises. Need them to be as silent as possible, no mechanical noises, and no grinding. You know how they feel when the drag is fully backed off and completely free to spin the handle?? That's how I want them to feel when cranking.

Some reels have sealed drags, and now I noticed that BPS has reels housebranded that claim to have sealed bodies too so if they get dunked it won't be nearly as bad. You might consider a reel like these for an upgrade if you wade a lot.

Your last sentence was the summary of my 3 paragraphs. ;D I wish I could have summed it up that neatly, but that's it right there in a nutshell. He definitely wants to win each and every time and he'd do whatever it takes professionally to do it. If that meant switching to different gear then he'd be right there. Sorry, gotta say just a bit more cause this just came to me, but I know I'm long winded so sorry. I'm sure some out there would use whatever brand of gear that was writing the checks with their names on them. But "IF" KVD was ever one of those guys before.........he's not now for sure cause I'm sure any company out there would love to have his endorsement of their gear with him being on the level he is at in this sport. Not only that but I recently read in the latest issue of Bassmaster, an article written about KVD where it was quoted as being said that he is a sponsor's dream because not only does he perform at impossible levels using the gear, but he genuinely believes in the products he promotes as well. If this is true, and I know it is, then he could name his price to any manufacturer out there, and yet he is still with Quantum after all these years. Nuff said.

Do you all really think if a Quantum reel needed replacing so often that KVD was having to get them on a regular basis.....that he would fish with them when his career, 500K of money, and reputation are on the line?? If they crapped out that easily he wouldn't take the chance on them giving out WHEN a fish was on the line. That would mess with his mindset too, not knowing when or if his reels would fail or not. He states that's one of the most important things he does on the water is keeping focus, and he's not the kind that would take a chance on anything that would risk that. I'm sure he does get fresh reels every so often, he might even do it after every tournament for all I know. I just doubt that he'd use them if he knew they wouldn't hold up very long cause you never know when it's going to give up on you. If the reel was of such poor quality that it would only last for less than a season on average then occasionally you'd get one that wouldn't even last that long (a lemon) and that might be the time you have the money fish on the line. No way. I don't even use Quantum, can't say they have much that attracts me, but I'm not stupid about it.....and neither is KVD. Y'all can say what you want about him getting tons of free reels but if he really did know they were inferior and prone to failure then I'm more inclined to think he would not use them at all because of the inability to depend on them when he would need to, which is every single time out, tournament or not. There's way too many other things that can go wrong each time out (as Boyd Duckett found out recently with motor issues) besides having your primary weapon of choice fail right in your hands during the most important tournament of the season. KVD being who he is, fishing on the level that he does, is proof enough for me that these reels are solid. I may not like them as well as others but I don't believe they are just waiting to fall apart while in use as some would have us believe.

Me neither. My experience has been if it starts out rough it just continues to get worse. I've had as many as 4 identical reels new out of the box at the same time and of them one was rough and got no better as time went on but the rest were slick and did not get rough either. I quit using the rough one totally.

Or just get all Compres. I'm spoiled now to where I won't be able to except any less after fishing them for one season. Nothing against the Okuma since I have never used it but I love the Compre rods. Own 2 now with plans for at least 1 more, maybe 2.

I can offer advice on the Compre as I have that same model. They make this model in a MH with a either a F or an XF tip. The one I got has the fast tip and makes and EXCELLENT spinnerbait rod. I'm using it for jigs and t-rigs currently with plans to buy another one just like it for making a dedicated spinnerbait rod. Right now though I only have one of the rods in that specific model and I needed a rod that had the sensitivity to feel even the slightest bite for bottom fishing so I'm using it for the jigs and t-rigs and getting by with something else for spinnerbaits until I can afford another MH Compre. However I have fished spinnerbaits on mine since I got it and it's a really great rod for this. Has all the power you'll need but also is light in weight so you are not tired by it as well as being very sensitive to feeling the bait bumping wood stucture or rocks and being able to tell the difference between the two. Since I began using a Compre rod I have became spoiled to how good these rods can be. So much so that I now compare every other rod I see to the Compre. And if you found the Shimano Compre for $80 you need to jump on it. That rod has a lifetime warranty and I'm paying $100 for the same models new. Are the ones you are getting used or something?? Where are they that cheap??

Baitcast 6'6" Shimano Compre medium/fast tip, BPS Extreme 6.4:1 reel, 12# Vanish Transitions fluorocarbon = jerkbaits 6'6" Shimano Compre medium heavy/fast tip, BPS Extreme 7.1:1 reel, 14# Vanish Transitions fluorocarbon = jigs/t-rigs (anything fished on the bottom) 6'6" St. Croix medium/fast tip, BPS Extreme 6.4:1 reel, 12# Vanish Transitions fluorocarbon = spinnerbaits/buzzbaits (got rod free, stiffer than same rod in Shimano Compre so used for this) 6'0" Quest LS-7 medium, BPS Extreme 5.4:1 reel, 12# Vanish Transitions fluorocarbon = shallow to medium diving crankbaits (rod feels like a MF in action, does not state this though, using for cranks based on softness of blank) Spinning 6'6" Quantum Dance Class medium, Pflueger President 6035 reel, 10# Stren mono = inline spinners, topwaters (rod feels fairly stout but also flexible so works well for this) 6'0" Quest LS-7 medium, Pflueger Trion 4730 reel, 8# Stren mono= smaller inline spinners, weightless plastic worms, shakeyheads

That is what I read at tackletour.com, that this rod is only in the prototype stages of development and Ike will fish it at the classic but it won't be for sale until late in the year. They will get different guides than what Ike's rod will have during the classic.